Diary from Athens - Grand Prix Freestyle
Gold Medal winners Anky van Grunsven and Salinero wave to the crowd photo ©Janus Communications |
Since you probably already know the facts about the winners and the runners-up for Dressage (Salinero/Anky van Grunsven, NED, with Gold, Rusty/Ulla Salzgeber, GER, with Silver, Beauvalais/Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, ESP, with Bronze) I’ll try to convey to you some of the essence of the day.
Of course there was going to be controversy about Debbie McDonald finishing 4th. Also, Ulla Salzgeber wondered aloud why there was such a disparity in the marks of one of the movements in her Grand Prix Special test This is what the judges had to say at the press conference later about the performances they saw in the ring – most of the talking was done by the President of the Ground Jury, Mariette Withages of Belgium:
They said Anky and Salinero were truly brilliant in parts. And today (emphasis on “today”) they were strong in the extensions, passage and transitions, and their piaffe and pirouettes were better than Rusty’s. They said Ulla’s and Rusty’s performance were strong in the series of changes, half passes, walk, trot and canter. They praised McDonald’s riding but said she lost marks for mistakes in her changes.
Salzgeber had some interesting things to say, alluding to the incident at last year’s World Cup where she and Rusty won the championship, only to have it taken away from them when he tested positive for a banned substance. Asked if she was disappointed she didn’t win the gold medal here, it became apparent just how much the incident affected her. She said, “Anyone who knows me knows that after all that sh--, uh, terrible things happened, I decided not to ride anymore, and without my family behind me, I wouldn’t be here. If you went through such a thing you lose a little bit of what you really need to fight very hard, and I’m not the fighter that I was before. I’m very happy that my family pushed me to take part in these Olympics, because without them I wouldn’t be here.” She said she is very happy with the medals she has.
When asked what she is going to do with Rusty, who is 16, she said she is going to have fun riding him at home and doing some exhibition shows. She said she has some nice young horses, but doesn’t know to what level she will be competing.
The Olympic Individual Medal winners show their medals to photographers photo ©Janus Communications |
Spain's first individual Olympic medal in dressage was won by Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and Beauvalais who won the Bronze photo ©Janus Communications |
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Equestrian journalist Jan Mansfield is attending the Olympics under accreditation from Gaitpost Magazine. Known for her ability to find interesting behind-the-scenes stories, Jan brings extensive knowledge and insight into covering the equestrian events. Jan will also be sending stories and photos from other venues in Athens as she works on her assignments with various mainstream publications. Jan can be reached at januscom@shaw.ca